


Nevada

by ViciousKitten



Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 3, Fallout: New Vegas
Genre: Banter, F/M, Friendship, Pre-Fallout: New Vegas
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-22
Updated: 2018-03-22
Packaged: 2019-04-06 16:07:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,206
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14060556
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ViciousKitten/pseuds/ViciousKitten
Summary: A Fallout universe tale inspired by the song "Nevada" by Vicetone.The Lone Wanderer travels to New Vegas where she meets the Courier in early 2278.*Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas are the property of Bethesda and Obsidian.  Lyrics to "Nevada" are the property of Vicetone.*(I will probably lose motivation with this one too.  Just being honest. :/)





	1. Chapter 1

So this was the reputed New Vegas.  
  
What. A. Shithole.   
  
Sure the lights and girls were prettier, but it was the same bullshit as everywhere else: drugs, booze, corruption.  Malevolence pulsing just below the surface as the different tribes waited for their opportunity to strike, rise to the top, be king of the motherfucking dung heap.  It was silent, subversive but just as palpable and toxic as the radiation of the wastes.  
  
Em swirled the whiskey in her glass, contemplating.  All the months spent traveling here for this?  Should've just stayed in DC.   
  
She shook her head with a slight chuckle to herself.  Who was she kidding?  From the moment she left Vault 101 in search of her father, she hadn't stopped wandering.  Wasn't even sure she knew how at this point.   
  
Still, the Mojave didn't seem to offer anything of interest.  She tipped her glass back, downing the rest of her drink and threw a handful of caps on the bar for the tender.  Another good night of sleep at Vault 21 and she'd be on her way.  Maybe try to reach the Pacific.  
  
Em swiveled on her barstool and stood quickly, not noticing the man behind her until she collided with his armored chest.  He wrapped his arms around her before she fell and Em immediately shoved his hands away.  
  
"Christ, man.  Buy a girl a drink first."  
  
He laughed harshly. "Seems you've already had enough, kid."  
  
Kid.  Kid.  That fucking... that son of a... god damned...  If only he knew who she was.  While she stood there fuming, the man waved the barkeep over.  
  
"Well hey there, Geoff.  How ya been doin'?" the man smiled broadly as he shook the stranger's hand.  
  
"Fine, Curtis, just fine.  How's the missus?"  
  
"Oh, 'bout the same as usual, I reckon," Curtis shrugged, "Crankier than a riled up cazador."  
  
The men guffawed.  Assholes.  
  
The laughter faded and Curtis wrung his barmop nervously in his hands, leaning in, "You, uh... you hear anythin' new about those crazies over yonder?"   
  
Geoff's smile faded, his expression growing dark, somber.  "No," he said, shaking his head, "Nothing new.  Seems the NCR really dealt them a blow.  They suffered heavy losses.  Don't think they can't mount another offensive right now, but I don't think we're out of the woods yet either."  He swung his pack off of his shoulder and produced a package and a clipboard from within, handing both to Curtis.  He grinned, attempting to lighten the mood, "you know the drill."  The bartender accepted both and, to the best of Em's guess, signed his name.  "The Mojave Express thanks you for your business, sir."  
  
"You bet, Geoff. Be seein' ya." Curtis replied with a nod before returning to his customers.  
  
The courier turned around, returning the clipboard to his pack.  Em glared at him.  
  
"What was he talking about?  What crazies over yonder?" she accentuated the question with finger quotes and a mimicry of Curtis' drawl.  
  
"Over indulgent  _and_ nosey.  Wow, your parents sure did a bang up job."  He narrowed his eyes at Em before his gaze fell on her Pip Boy and he huffed in amusement. "Well, I guess that explains it now, doesn't it? A pampered vaultie."  
  
"You know what, Jeff? Fuck you." Em turned for the door that led to the Strip.  
  
"It's Geoff."  
  
"What?"  
  
"My name is Geoff."  
  
"Yeah, I know.  That's what I said."  
  
"Nooooo," he replied, "you said Jeff."  Em stared at him blankly.  "Jeff. Geoff. Jeff. Geoff. Hear the difference?"  
  
Her lips quirked to the side.  "That's kind of pretentious.  I'm sure mommy had lofty ambitions for you.  What a shame you ended up what... a mailman?"  
  
"Courier."  
  
She scoffed.  "Again! Pretentious!  Jeff the Mailman or Geoff the Courier.  You're not fooling anyone. It's the same fucking thing!"  
  
Geoff stood there, staring at her at she met his gaze steadily.  He didn't look away as he slung his bag back onto his shoulder.  
  
"You take care, now."  He tipped his head politely although his eyes were cold and then moved around her for the exit.  
  
"You didn't answer my question." She turned to face him.  
  
"I think I'm done talking to you," Geoff said as he stalked across the threadbare carpet of the casino.  Then he paused, shaking his head.  "No. You know what? I don't want it on my conscience, you going out there uninformed."  He stood in front of her, his face somber and he took a deep breath before beginning. "The people Curtis was talking about are called Caesar's Legion.  They led an attack a few months ago, trying to take over New Vegas, but the NCR was able to hold 'em back.  They're ruthless, barbaric, and sadistic.  From what I've heard they enslave women and children and crucify..."  
  
Em raised a hand.  "I'm going to need to stop you right there.  Caesar's Legion?  Barbarians? Seriously? I passed through their territory on my way here and it was, by far, the safest traveling I've ever done.  And let me tell you something, Geoff, I've done a lot of traveling."  
  
"But they..."  
  
She interrupted again, "I didn't see a single raider for hundreds of miles.  Not a raider, not a radscorpion, or a super mutant, or any other irradiated fuckery.  Our caravan paid a toll and on we went.  Safe roads, well maintained.  Outposts with lodging.  It was paradise. So I don't know what you've heard about these guys, but it's wrong."  Geoff shook his head in disbelief at her words. "In fact, if they want to take over New Vegas, you all should let them.  I bet they'd clean up this dump."  
  
He stood stood there, staring at her. Wide eyes, mouth agape.  Em smiled sweetly and batted her lashes back at him, hand on her popped hip.  His narrowed gaze told her he wasn't impressed or charmed.  
  
"Well, alright then.  You clearly seem to know more than I do."  Em shrugged a shoulder as if it was an obvious statement. "Take care, miss."  
  
"Em." She thrust her hand forward.   
  
"Huh?"  
  
"My name is Emma, but I just go by 'Em'."  Geoff looked warily at her small hand before taking it in his own cautiously and giving it a firm shake.  
  
"Alright then, Em," he said, withdrawing his hand to readjust his pack. "Be seein' you around." He shifted his weight from one foot to the other. His gaze softened and looked at her with a genuine kindness and concern that she hadn't seen since her father had passed away.  "And be careful out there."    
  
Em nodded and watched as the courier made his way to the door and disappeared into the blinding light of the Mojave sun when it opened.  
  
Okay, so maybe New Vegas wasn't a complete shithole. 

 

*****

  
  
"Geoff! Hold up!"  
  
Oh you gotta be kidding me.  He stopped walking, but didn't turn around.  
  
"Yeah, kid. What is it?"  He grinned to himself thinking of Em thrusting her chin out in defiance at the word 'kid'.  He could already tell the girl had a thirst to prove herself and he could respect that.  Her footsteps slowed as she approached and came to stand in front of him.  
  
"So I was thinking that you're a wanderer, just like me, and maybe we could travel together for a bit.  I'm not from here and you probably know every road like the back of your hand.  You could show me the sights. And I'm good with a gun, I could watch your back."  Her face brightened with hopeful enthusiasm, making her look more what he figured her age to be than the cantankerous bitch he had only met a few minutes ago.  
  
This was a bad idea.  A horrible idea.  She would be a liability, not an asset.  The roads were long and usually dangerous.  He looked back at Em in her threadbare vault suit that was more brown and gray than blue and worn boots two sizes too big.  Geoff shook his head at the disaster in front of him.  
  
"Okay, kid."   
  
This was a really bad idea.


	2. Chapter 2

"Yeah? Really?" That poor child's face was lit up like Gomorrah and like half the girls that entertained there, Geoff reckoned this one had a big ol' suitcase with "Daddy Issues" clearly written in bold lettering.  

"Really." He affirmed sternly.  "But you can't slow me down." She shook her head.  "And no whining about being tired or your feet hurting or any of that nonsense. Understood?" Em nodded emphatically.  "I need to get back Primm and check in with my boss, but that can wait until tomorrow.  You staying somewhere already?"

"Vault 21."

Geoff chuckled, "That figures. Kinda touristy for my taste, but clean.  I'll grab a room there too and we can leave first thing.  Sound good?"

"Sounds good."

They made their way down the Strip, weaving between the drunk NCR soldiers and scantily clad women offering their services.  Geoff watched Em as she took in everything around her.  Observant and curious, but not awestruck like most of the folks that came to New Vegas.  And her body language when someone got a little to close?  Ready to kick ass.  Whatever doubts he had about this young vault dweller being able to hold her own were swiftly evaporating.  Still, her eagerness to up and follow a complete stranger who had shown barely an iota of concern for her well-being was unsettling.  

"Have you gotten to see any of the sights here?"

"No," she replied without looking at him, keeping her focus on her surroundings. "I only got here yesterday and nothing really caught my interest."

"Well, you just need an experienced guide.  And one of the perks of being a mailman," she shot him an playful smirk and he winked in return, "is you know where all the action is."  

Em snorted.  "Pssh. You know where all the addresses are and that's about it.  I doubt very much that you moonlight as a high-roller, Mr. Mailm...I mean _Courier_."  

"I'm a jack of many trades," he shrugged as they approached Vault 21.  "I'm gonna get a room and get cleaned up.  Then we're going out." Em started to shake her head. "Yes.  We are.  This is the last real civilization we're going to see for a long while and I, for one, am going to enjoy it."

"Fine."

"You got something nice to wear?"

Em grumbled something he assumed was a 'yes' and an invitation to have intimate relations with himself.  Spitfire, that one.

"I'll meet you back here in an hour!" Geoff called after her as she left him at the front desk.  She gave a thumbs up, without turning around.

*****

Emma wasn't sure why she had even packed the damn dress in the first place.  Maybe it was the preparedness that had been driven into her after leaving 101 - you just never new what you were going to need. 

An hour later she was back in the lobby, perusing the souvenirs while she waited for Geoff.

"Well, would you look at what the night stalkers dragged in!"

"Nightsta..." Em's voice faltered as she turned around to see a well-polished gentleman in the place where she expected to see a road-weary traveler.  Clean-shaven and hair neatly parted and combed, Geoff looked like a different man.

"At a loss for words?  Yeah, I clean up pretty good, huh?" Geoff said as he dramatically huffed on his fingernails and polished them on shoulder on his tan suit. 

Emma rolled her eyes.  "You look okay, I guess."

 He scoffed and gave her a dashing smile.  The man was handsome and he knew it. 

"And you, my dear, look positively stunning," he said, offering his bent elbow to her.  Em's cheeks burned.

"Thank you," she whispered.

Geoff looked back at the hotel manager, who was pretending to be deeply immersed in her book keeping and not the smartly dressed couple in her lobby. "Don't wait up for us,  Miss Sarah!"

Sarah, who was obviously smitten, giggled nervously at the attention.

Em and Geoff stepped out the door in the warm, arid air.

"So, hookers and psycho then?" Emma asked in mock excitement. 

Geoff choked. "Gosh no, girl.  Geez.  What kind of guy do you take me for?" He furrowed his brow.  "I've never done psycho in my life."  

Em didn't miss a beat. "And hookers?"  Her pursed lips quirked to the side.

Geoff cleared his throat loudly. "I know where we should go! Come on."  Emma grinned at the conspicuous subject change and allowed herself to be led through the growing throngs of people to the main gate leading off the Strip.

"Where are we going?"

"You'll see."

They wove their way through the labyrinth of darkening alleyways on the city's outskirts.  Then, when Emma was sure they were completely lost, they rounded a corner where a ghoul stood, leaning against a crumbling door frame and smoking a cigarette.  Geoff approached him.

"I've been painting every fence I know," the ghoul said cryptically.

"Ever color bleeds into the same," Geoff responded.

"Have a good time," the bouncer smiled as he open the door next to him.  "No killin' anybody."

"We'll do our best, won't we, Em?" He winked.

"No promises," she smiled sweetly.

 

 

 


End file.
